Friday, January 14, 2011

Exposing the connection between Jerald Loughner and the Zeitgeist films.

Exposing the connection of the Zeitgeist Movement to Jared Loughner
By Neil Kiernan.

When terrible things happen, people do their best to make sense of them. We are desperate to find answers to the question of “Why?” So why did Jared Loughner buy a gun, and shoot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords? Why did he then turn and shoot everyone in sight including a nine year old child?
Recently Fox News interviewed someone named Zachary Osler who claims to of been friends with Loughner. And this is what brings us to talking about the following quote:

“I really think that this ‘Zeitgeist’ documentary had a profound impact upon Jared Loughner’s mindset and how he viewed the world that he lives in,” he said.”

Fox went on to elaborate that the Zeitgeist series of films railed on currency based economics. They also pointed out that this fellow had not spoken to Loughner in about two years. Meaning it's highly possible that Loughner had never seen “Zeitgeist: Addendum” and obviously never would have had the chance to see “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” before these attacks. But even the first Zeitgeist film did not condone or suggest violence.

Initially when this tragedy went down the right-wing conservative “Tea Party” movement and their extreme views was blamed. There is one place where the Libertarian movement and Zeitgeist intersected. And that was the portion of the first film about the Federal Reserve. I myself learned about Zeitgeist because a lot of people who were supporters of Congressman Ron Paul suggested that part of the film to explain the Federal Reserve's origins. This portion of the film is also what put Zeitgeist on the government's radar, as we have seen law enforcement documents that link the first film to militia movements, and other organizations suspected of possible terrorist activity.

Since then, Peter Joseph went on to make the film “Zeitgeist Addendum” and now “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” which both take a stance that is vastly different then the Free Market Economical ideas advocated by Libertarians, Right-wing Conservatives and the Tea Party movement. In fact both of these later films are highly critical of the Free Market ideology. And rightly so.

Anyone who has actually taken the time to watch the Zeitgeist film series knows that there is nothing in any of these movies that suggest violence as a means to achieve political ends. Point of fact the Venus Project which the Zeitgeist Movement is the activist arm of, openly condemns violence or coercion as a tool to reach any social goals. Not only because it is immoral and wrong to engage in such activity, but because it doesn't even work. Acts of violence are a great way to cast your views in a negative light. And that is exactly what is happening here. The difference is nobody in the Zeitgeist Movement, or affiliated in any way with the Venus Project committed these acts of violence. They are being falsely attributed to the Zeitgeist films and therefore the movement itself.

The Right-wing Conservative movement is now seizing an opportunity to save itself by pointing the finger squarely at the Zeitgeist Films. Rush Limbaugh in all of his bluster had this to say:

“It wasn't just Zeitgeist. " According to reports, Loughner's favorites included little-known conspiracy theory documentaries such as 'Zeitgeist' and 'Loose Change' as well as ... 'Donnie Darko' and 'A Scanner Darkly.'" Now, Zeitgeist is "a 2007 documentary that asserts Jesus Christ is a myth, that 9/11 was orchestrated by the government, and that bankers manipulate the international monetary system and the media in order to consolidate power." So a conspiracy movie (put together by deranged leftists, it turns out) appears to be, according to his best friend, the most influential media of this young man's life.”

Limbaugh's other statements basically go to blame the whole thing on the “Left”. In typical fashion we watch as the people who are still duped into believing that being “Right” or “Left” actually means something point fingers at each other in desperation hoping to use tragedy to sway public opinion against their opposition. This of course goes both ways. The left was very quick to point the finger at the right as well. Which is what provoked Limbaugh's response in the first place.

So lets break this down a bit further. Does it even make sense that someone supposedly inspired by “Leftist Conspiracy nuts” would take a mind to shooting a Democratic Congresswoman? Considering the Democratic party is deeply rooted in the left? Obviously that's silly. In the recent 2010 election Congresswoman Giffords was a political target for the right-wing Tea Party movement. This is where the infamous “cross-hairs” pictures associated with Sarah Palin and her political action committee came from. On the website there were cross-hairs over a picture of Giffords along with other members of the Democratic Party in Congress. The Tea Party rallied in support of her opponent in the race, a Republican by the name of Jesse Kelly. So again, why would someone inspired by extreme leftist views decide to shoot her?

It is true that the first Zeitgeist film was very critical of the government. But that is not something that by any means is exclusive to the left. As I previously pointed out I found out about the first Zeitgeist film because of my previous deep involvement with the right. “Loose Change” is not what I would call “Left-Wing”. In fact the filmmakers work closely with Alex Jones who is quite obviously on the right, and advocate of Free Market ideology who frequently has Congressman Ron Paul and the new Senator Rand Paul on his show. “911 Truth” is not right or left. There are people on both sides who have this interest.

“Zeitgeist Addendum” is a film that is critical not only of governments but of corporations. And the monetary system itself. It goes after the bankers, and then it goes after money and the profit motive. It then goes on to suggest that war, corruption, poverty, etc are all caused directly or indirectly through the use of money. It strongly advises that people look into renewable energy sources, and ecologically sound practices. These messages are also conveyed through the Venus Project. First, lets take a look at the reported political views of one Jerald Loughner.

Jerald Loughner was really big on the Constitution.

In a video called “Introduction: Jared Loughner” he writes, “No! I won’t pay debt with a currency that’s not backed by gold and silver!”

In his youtube video series he seems to go back and forth between the idea that we should bring back the gold standard, and the idea that people should just make their own currency. His videos are largely full of rambling. At no point has he ever suggested a Resource Based Economy as proposed by the Zeitgeist Movement.

The idea of returning to a gold standard is highly popular in circles on the right, Ron Paul and his followers have spoken highly of such an idea. The idea of getting rid of the Federal Reserve is very popular in that circle. A gold standard however is not at all suggested in “Zeitgeist Addendum” or “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward”. Neither is the idea of making one's own currency. We advocate using technology to evolve mankind beyond the need for currency or monetary exchange at all.

Fox News claimed it had seen a Department of Homeland Security memo which said Jared Lee Loughner, 22, had ties to American Renaissance, which is staunchly anti-immigration, anti-government and anti-Semitic.

Arizona Republican Gabrielle Giffords, the target of the mass killing, is ‘the first Jewish female elected to such a high position in the US government. She was also opposite this group’s ideology when it came to immigration debate,’ according the DHS memo.

There is not a shred of anything racist, much less anti-Semitic in any of the Zeitgeist films. The Zeitgeist movement seeks a world that will eventually be without borders, and obviously has no issue therefore with immigration policy.

So taking all of this into account, lets look for a moment at what kind of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was. She was given a progressive (left) score of 41 out of 100 by “That's my Congress” due to her voting record. She was only given a Conservative rating of 11 out of 100. Again, this is not making a good case for the idea that some evil leftist documentary convinced someone to kill her.

Most of her voting record was fairly typical politician. She supported a lot of centrist views. But was really big on one issue that was very important to most members of the Zeitgeist Movement. Renewable energy.

She voted in favor of and sponsored several bills in support of renewable energy, and always praises efforts of various government agencies to switch to renewable energy. This is a statement from her website:

“I believe we need to move towards energy independence both for our national security and for the safety of our planet. That is why my sixth vote in the 110th Congress in support of H.R. 6 was to repeal subsides for oil companies and invest those funds in renewable energy.
As a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology and its Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, I remain committed to making energy independence one of my top priorities in Congress.
Ending America’s addiction to foreign oil, investing in renewable energy—especially solar—and achieving energy independence is the Apollo mission of our generation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration states that Arizona’s large desert areas offer the highest solar power potential in America. Arizona has over 300 days of sunshine every year, and, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, we have the potential to produce over 150% of our state’s energy demand with solar energy.
Solar energy is clean, safe and noiseless. However, we currently only get less than 1% of our energy from solar power. We should do much more to make Southern Arizona the “Solar-con Valley” of the nation. I have introduced two bills in Congress to make this vision a reality and developed my Community Solar Energy Initiative—a four point plan to promote solar energy, including: legislation, education and outreach, accountability and transparency, and a solar energy advisory committee.
I am determined to lead America in energy independence. I support:
a goal of 20% renewable energy use by 2020;
increasing fuel economy standards for our vehicles to save drivers money at the pump, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases;
increasing and extending federal tax credits for homeowners and businesses who install solar panels;
encouraging the development of fuels like ethanol and bio fuels, and
increasing research and development for renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal.
The road to energy independence will take cooperation and leadership at the local, state, and federal levels of government. I am committed to working across the aisle to make it possible for our children and grandchildren enjoy a clean, healthy environment in our beautiful state of Arizona and across the nation.”

On that same website pictures of solar panels decorate the top margin.

I would point out that her support for renewable energy projects is directly in line with the principles of the Venus Project and the Zeitgeist Movement. Would be nice if she would catch up issues like the Iraq War. Though she does support a reasonable time frame for withdrawal, but not an immediate one.

In short, I see no reason at all why anyone influenced by any of the Zeitgeist films would hate this woman. Let alone want to shoot her. It's pretty clear people on the right didn't like her politics.

So what motives do we have that are likely?

Well, for one Loughner was known as obsessed with lucid dreaming. And did a lot of hallucinogenic drugs. Friends of his stated that he used a lot of Salvia. And an ex-girlfriend recently interviewed stated he used hallucinogenic mushrooms. He was extremely into the idea that people could mold their own reality. And therefore showed a lot of signs of being out of touch with it. People stated that he had an interest in rocking the boat and pushing people's buttons. Supposedly this is why he listed Mein Kamph as one of his favorite books. He apparently had a lot of problems with authority in general. And like many people who have gone down that road he also seemed to feel that the authority of reality itself should not apply to him.

For this reason Jerald Loughner's crime can exist without a tangible motive. Meaning that whatever he may of dreamed up in his head could have been the cause. His shattered sense of reality could of produced any number of reasons that did not in any way have to adhere to logic. As Peter Joseph stated in his own statement on the matter, the real culprit here is the system that creates these people.

In conclusion, I am sure many of you have heard me say on my show and in my blogs that the right or left paradigm is a distraction. As people rush to point their fingers at the opposing side in situations like this the real root causes will be forever lost to most people. The right will continue to say it is the fault of the left. The left will continue to say it is the fault of the right. When the real culprit is the elephant in the room. The problems that both the right and the left ignore or leave out of their ideologies. And like many other situations just like this the truth of the matter will be buried underneath layer and layer of propaganda. Forever blinded by their need to gain rank over their opposition, reality of these situations is a casualty of war, the war for your mind.

In exposing this "connection" as the media has called it, we find no connection at all.

interesting take... I think efforts to show that the Zeitgeist movement has no effect on Loughner will be doomed to fail though. He was, apparently, into all the fringe stuff - his favorite talk show host was Alex Jones (who I believe actually works for the ultra-libertarians to propagate fear and distrust, and thus destabilize functional governnance), so he MUST have been exposed to the films. But what does that even tell us about him, really?

It's better to look at Loughner as a symptom of a pathological culture, rather than try and find direct "causes" for his actions.

We perpetuate a sick series of systems and there are bound to be people like Loughner out there - in fact I’m surprised as hell there aren’t more.